Shield for



m. 524,646. 1mm m 91, 58%.

Q. a. wvmmm SHIELD FQR LIGHT ABTHLLEEN.

- (Application filed. Apr. 90, 1898.)

(Rio kIodeE.)

UN iTE CHARLES ll. ,FRYBARGER, OF CARLTON, COLORADO.

sHiELD FOR LIQHT ARTlLLERY.

SPEGTlFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,640, dated May 9, 1899.

Application filed April 20, 1898.

lle it known thatLCnAnLns I I. Fnvnnnonn, a citizen of the United States, residingat Carlton, in the county of lrowcrs and .State of lolorado, have invented a new and useful Shield for Light Artillery, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to field. or light artillery, and has for its object to provide guns of this class 0!. artillery with shields to protect the gunners against bullets while in action.

With this object in view myinvention consists in providing a field-gun with a bulletproof shield which can be adjusted in front of the gunner to protecthim from thel-Lullets of the enemy and may be readily turned to rest upon the top of the gun when not in use.

My invention further consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, and afterward specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention most nearly appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation,

reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Fign re 1 is a perspective view of a field-gun equipped with a shield constructed in accordance with my invention, part of one of the wheels being broken away to better illustrate the shield. Fig. 2 -is a View in side elevation, the axle being shown in section and the shield in dotted lines in its folded or transportable position. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the shield and its attaching means.

Like letters of reference mark the sameso much of thegun will be referred to as is necessary to illustrate the application of my invention thereto.

A indicates a gun; 13, the carriage; O C, the wheels, and l) the axle. All of these parts may be of the-usual and ordinary construction, provided the axle, just 'inside ofthe wheels, be formed square, as illustrated most plainlyin Fig. 2 at 1'). About this square portion of the axle, inside of the wheels, is a Serial No. 678,278. (No model.)

clip E; embracing the axle, the threaded ends of which pass through bolt-holes in a plate 1 lying against the. under side of the axle, and are secured by nuts E.

The plates F are extended, as at F, in front of the axle, and they are provided on their upper surfaces at a short distance in front of the axle with perforated lugs G G.

ll indicates a shield which may be made of a single piece of sheet or plate metal sufilcieutly heavy to resist bullets or of any desired number of pieces of such metal riveted or otherwise secured together. 'lhis'plate is provided with an elongated notch or slot l,'

centrally located and extending from the lower edge of the plate to or perhaps slightly beyond its mid-height, the upper or inner end of the slot being curved, as shown in Fig. 1. Near each side narrow vertical slots J are formed in the plate, through which extend the outer ends of branches K and K" of arms K, pivotally connected to the plates F between the lugs G by means of bolts L, the outer ends of the branches being secured in the slots by means of nuts K. The plate may be secured to the outer ends of the branches K and K" of the arms K at any desired height within the limit of the notches J, so that with the arms K and branches K resting upon the forward extensions l of the plates 1 the lower edge of the shield-plate may be always kept clear of the ground, such vertical adjustment being rendered necessary by the unevenness of the ground encountered from time to time.

When the gun is out of action, the shield is turned upon bolts L as pivots until it is brought into the horizontal position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig 2,and resting upon the top of the gun. Its weight will usually held it in this position; but, if desired, means may be used torigidly secure it against any liability to'drop into its active position while the gun is being hauled from place to place. The utility of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description of its construction and operation. By means of it the gunners may be protected whileoperating the gun against the fire of sharp-shooters in the front, thus relieving them from a very large percentage of the danger to which they are now exposed, and con sequently'teading to a more eflicient handling of the gun, as well too ' what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with the gun, its car-' riage, wheels and axle, of the plate F secured to and projecting in front of the axle,- the shield-plate slotted to permit of its being passed over the gun, and the arms connected to the shield-plate and pivotally connected to the plate F, substantially 'as described.

'2. The combination with the field-piece, its carriage, wheels and axle, of clips embracing the axle, plates secured to the under side of the axle by said clips and projectingin front of the axle, perforated .lugs on the upper face of said-'clips, arms pivoted between said lugs, and the shield-plate, slotted to permit its passage ove'r the gun and adj ustably connected to the arms, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the gun, its carriage, wheels and axle, of the shield-plate, provided with a'central elongated notch or slot reaching from its lower edge to and slightly beyond its mid-height, and parallel 'slots near its sides, plates rigidly secured to the under side of theaxle and projecting in front thereof, perforated lugs on the upper side of said plates near the axle, arms pivoted between said lugs and provided with branches projected through the parallel edge slots of the shield-plate, and means for adjustably seeu ring the branches in said notches, substantially as described.

CHARLES H. FRYBARGER. Witnesses:

O. C. HUDDLEsToN, G. B. THOMAS. 

